Tyre burst disrupts vehicular movement for five hours on Mumbai-Agra highway near Igatpuri

Nashik: Traffic on the Mumbai-Agra highway was disrupted for nearly five hours near Igatpuri on Friday morning after a truck, travelling from Mumbai towards Nashik, suffered a tyre burst and came to a halt in the middle of the road near Munde village around 4.30am.Officials at the Ghoti traffic aid post said the breakdown occurred amid ongoing roadworks, which had already shut the Mumbai-bound carriageway and diverted traffic onto the adjacent Mumbai-Nashik lane. As a result, the stretch was operating with two-way traffic. The stranded truck blocked the narrow passage, bringing vehicles in both directions to a standstill and causing a growing traffic pile-up. Highway police initially managed the situation manually, allowing vehicles to move in alternating batches to prevent a complete gridlock.A crane was eventually arranged, and once it arrived, the truck was removed and traffic movement gradually returned to normal. While NHAI officials said the road was cleared in about three hours, the police said the disruption lasted longer due to drivers attempting to use the wrong side of the road, which worsened congestion.The police said this was the second such incident in two weeks and stressed the need for a permanently stationed crane in the area. They also said one lane remained closed due to ongoing railway overbridge work, which had seen little progress.